When the crew at Epicurious started thinking about our dream Christmas menu, we imagined total extravagance. Senior Editor Matt Duckor pictured foie gras-studded beef Wellington. Editor David Tamarkin daydreamed about a sweet, towering croquembouche. But then reality set in. We don't want to spend endless hours in the kitchen prepping for the big meal—and we weren't keen to spend a ton of money, either. But we still wanted a menu that's super-impressive and stylish enough to bust out on the holiday dinner table.

So the food team put our heads together to create a menu that accomplishes just that. Yes, these dishes look elegant and impressive—those creamy salmon toasts are almost (but not really) too pretty to eat, that stunning beef roast just glistens on its roasting platter.

But here's the best part: these recipes are all way easier to prepare than their stunning presentation lets on. We focused on keeping the ingredient list reasonable, the to-do list short, and the cooking time as brief as possible, so that you, dear reader, can be carefree enough to enjoy a cocktail and a few hors d'oeuvres when the guests arrive. It's a true Christmas miracle.

Start with Simple Salmon

Christmas dinner is a festive affair, so start the party off with a celebratory moment—glasses of something fizzy and a platter of these pretty salmon rillettes, a creamy French-style spread inspired by the classic pork version. Served on thin rye crisps, with a bright chive garnish, they have all the luxury of smoked salmon, with an extra layer of lusciousness. Although salmon rillettes are traditionally made with poached salmon, I've cut out that somewhat complicated step (and an item from the ingredient list) and created a version that just uses store-bought smoked salmon. The creaminess instead comes from a combination of crème fraîche and butter, and lemon juice and zest add bring tangy flavor to help cut through the rich dip. For a brighter color, use wild smoked salmon, although any good-quality salmon will do.

Serve a Plated Salad for a Touch of Elegance

Plating each course of a big feast is fancy, sure, but it can be too chaotic to pull off (and exactly who's going to wash all those dishes?). But just one plated course is very doable, and adds an elegant touch to the dining table. Acting Food Editor Mindy Fox started our menu off with this (almost) all-white salad, a crisp combination of Belgian endive, apple, daikon, and shaved Manchego cheese, topped with freshly toasted hazelnuts and sweet-tart pomegranate seeds.

When buying Belgian endive, look for crisp bulbs, avoiding ones with limp or browning leaves. And since the dressing here is quite simple—a quick combination of orange juice, vinegar, and olive oil—it's even more important that you use high-quality extra-virgin oil (one that you use to drizzle over salads and vegetables or other dishes, rather than a less expensive sort you cook with). To save time, look for pre-seeded pomegranate arils. If they're not available, try this trick for quick, easy, and mess-free seeding: Quarter the pomegranate, then submerge each piece in a large bowl of cold water. Gently pull the skin from the seeds. Scoop the arils from the bowl to a colander to drain, then pat dry.

Impress with New York Strip

A stunning centerpiece roast is the iconic Christmas main course, so our course was clear. But what kind of roast? Lamb felt too obvious and prime rib too pricey. That's when Associate Food Editor Anna Stockwell suggested a strip loin roast, a just-as-gorgeous piece of meat that's much more friendly for the wallet; this cut comes from the same muscle as the highly prized rib roast, but it's slightly leaner and less expensive. You might not see this cut displayed at your butcher, but if they're selling New York strip steaks, then they'll have a strip loin roast in the back on offer since the steaks are cut from a strip loin. But since we're talking about a high-stakes meal, it's still a good idea to pre-order the roast just in case.

To add even more flavor into the juicy meat, Anna combined orange zest, a bit of minced anchovy, and rosemary to create a super-flavorful rub for the crust. Half of the mixture gets rubbed all over the meat, and breadcrumbs are added on top for even more texture and crunch. The other half of that herby goodness gets mixed into butter, which is rolled into a log, chilled, then sliced and served on top of the finished roast. An added wasteless bonus: Anna used the orange zest for the roast, and Mindy nabbed that orange to juice for the carrots.

French-ify The Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a crowdpleaser for sure, but nobody would describe that old-standby as elegant or impressive. Enter the French, who have a certain enviable knack with style. To upgrade our potato side, I took a cue from not one, but two classic French potatoes preparations.

First I kicked up the flavor by giving half the mashed potatoes the aligot treatment—folding in a ton of grated Gruyere and mozzarella cheese until the mixture was stringy and delicious.

Then, inspired by the traditional Pommes Duchesse, piping the remaining potato mixture into swirls on the top of the casserole dish. The whole dish then gets baked so that the piped potatoes become crispy, while the layer of cheesy potatoes underneath gets even more creamy and gooey.

The result of this hybrid experimentation? Holiday decadence in the extreme. (Pro tip: The leftover potatoes make a great lunch with a poached egg on top.)

Make your vegetables shine

We knew we needed something more than liquid cheesy lava to round out our holiday plate. But how do you make simple vegetables look impressive enough for Saint Nick? Turns out, French cuisine had the answer to this stumper, too: Glazing. Mindy combined skinny whole carrots (the kind you find in bunches with the greens still attached) with orange juice, honey, and butter, simmering the sauce down until the carrots are gorgeously shiny and full of flavor.

We went for buckwheat honey because it has a nice nutty, earthy flavor with just a hint of sweetness, but any honey that you like works well. Look for carrots with fresh-looking green tops still attached; they make a delicious, simple gremolata topping—a super quick mix of chopped carrot fronds, lemon zest, and garlic—for a pretty and wasteless finishing touch to the dish.

Make the Mousse Even Easier

For the grand finale, we all wanted chocolate (it is Christmas, after all!). Dinner-party genius that she is, Anna created a stunning make-ahead mousse that you just pull out of the fridge after dinner. And since Christmastime and chestnuts go hand-in-hand, Anna decided to infuse that classic mousse with the subtle, nutty taste of chestnut.

To sidestep the fuss of roasting and shelling chestnuts, Anna used packaged, pre-prepped chestnuts instead, simmering them with milk to form a rich base for the mousse. Next trick: Puree the chestnut mixture in the blender until smooth, then blend in the chocolate, which melts instantly in the hot liquid. Third trick: Whip your cream, then fold it all together for a stable fluffiness with no need for whipped egg whites.

Did I mention how easy this is? Really easy. You can even make the mousse the day before, which means this Christmas dessert is just about the simplest thing ever. And when you set out a big bowl of creamy, chestnut-y, chocolatey mousse, extra freshly whipped cream, and chocolate shavings to top it all off, your guests will feel like they just received the best gift ever.